READ: 19.09.17 - 26.11.17
BOOK: The Nazi Seizure of Power
AUTHOR: William Sheridan Allen
GENRE: Non-Fiction
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: William Sheridan Allen's research provides an intimate, comprehensive study of the mechanics of revolution and an analysis of the Nazi Party's subversion of democracy. Beginning at the end of the Weimar Republic, Allen examines the entire period of the Nazi Revolution within a single locality.
Tackling one of the 20th century's greatest dilemmas, Allen demonstrates how this dictatorship subtly surmounted democracy and how the Nazi seizure of power encroached from below. Relying upon legal records and interviews with primary sources, Allen dissects Northeim, Germany with microscopic precision to depict the transformation of a sleepy town to a Nazi stronghold. In this cogent analysis, Allen argues that Hitler rose to power primarily through democratic tactics that incited localized support rather than through violent means.
REVIEW: Over two months. Two months. But I did it. There were times that I didn't think I would ever get to the end.
This is one of the books I was reading as extra reading for my History course which is about Nazi Germany, and I initially thought this book would take me like a week to read. Haha no. This book is deceptively short, only around 300 pages, but I couldn't read more than 10 pages at one time.
While this book was interesting in places, and very useful for my course, I just found parts of it utterly boring. It was fascinating to see the events of the Nazi seizure of power on a small scale, and seeing how it affected just one town, but I kind of wished that there was also the big picture given as well.
FINAL VERDICT: I would recommend this to anyone who has a decent knowledge of Nazi Germany, and is really interested in it.
RATING: 6.5/10
YOU ARE READING
A Bookaholic's Book Log
Random2017. My New Year's resolution: read at least one book every week. Like actual, physical, made-of-dead-trees books. This log will contain the result of this maybe ambitious plan. A book containing my thoughts, opinions and recommendations about the...
